[tom_]

Feels like a bit more body fat would suit him a lot better. The lean look is fine if you're under 25, but at some point you have to admit that it's over.

> the way he looked while taking “TRT” looked nothing like a “testosterone replacement dose” but rather like a (mild?) steroid cycle

This seems to be common with TRT takers, who tend to have the physique (or some slightly strange-looking approxmation thereof) of a man 10 years younger. I guess it's not supposed to give you an abnormally high testosterone level, but you'll get that level consistently and reliably, regardless of mood or external events. Can't get that when you rely on your body to do it itself! It all adds up!

A TRT dose set based on the population average might also prove usefully higher than your body is tuned for too. And I expect you can just say that you're not feeling it, and they'll give you a bit more.

[voisin]

> but at some point you have to admit that it's over

I am confused by what you mean. Being lean should be a goal throughout life, no?

[mplewis]

No? What makes you think that lean is the optimal body state for all individuals?

[voisin]

High body fat is correlated with all sorts of negative health outcomes, no?

[n4r9]

That doesn't necessarily imply that super low body fat is optimal.

[voisin]

I think we are speaking past each other due to definitions. I wouldn’t think “lean” is the same as “super low body fat”. I assumed the lean we were talking about was maybe 10-13%. Whereas super low would likely be in the sub-8%.

[n4r9]

Maybe, but 13% is still well under what I would suspect is the bar for being correlated with negative health outcomes. Most sources seem to suggest that 18-20% is still a healthy level.

[tom_]

It should, but you can't expect to be as lean aged 45 as you were aged 20. And if you manage it anyway, you'll probably find (as - in my view - Johnson shows) that you look weird, in a way that you wouldn't have done when you were 20.

Regarding how much, I did say "a bit more". I'm not suggesting he should be watching My 600 lb Life for inspiration. 15% body fat, say? Maybe a bit less? Maybe a bit more? I dunno. He can afford his own dietician. I'm just going by my eyes here. He is lean, but in my view it just doesn't look very good on him.

(EDIT: this did prompt me to update my other post. TRT takers often exhibit a similar phenomenon: they've got the muscles and leanness of somebody rather younger, but the overall effect still just looks... kind of odd.)

[jraines]

Had to click through and look, he looks great IMO. There are people who look odd at a sub 15% bf at any age but he isn’t one, to my eye. He does have a bit of the TRT look but not extreme.

Edit after actually reading: the article is a compelling analysis & critique. While I think he looks good physique-wise, even bodybuilders would say it’s grueling & suboptimal for health & performance to stay very lean all the time. I thought he looked lean but not to that point where the body rebels; the markers seem to say otherwise

[dyauspitr]

What is over? You should maintain a lean, muscular body for as long as you possibly can.

[tom_]

Indeed you should! All that's over is automatically looking good while you do it (or so I claim). Time to accept that you might actually look weird, even though you have the ideal body fat level for somebody 25 years younger. Maybe skip the shirtless pics. Or why not just let yourself get a bit (but not much!) fatter?

Anyway, I'm relying on my own eyes here, and you should do the same. Don't be afraid to let your eyes see that Johnson is rich enough to afford a team of people looking after him, and has the vital signs of a 20 year old. Meanwhile, I'm just some internet rando!